Lubrication of automobile torpedoes.



F. M. LEAVITT.

LUBRICATION OF AUTOMOBILE TORPEDOES. APPLICATION FILED Aua.21. I9I2.

1,150,777, Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

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STATES PATENT FRANK IVI. LEAVITT, OF SMITI-ITOWN, NEW YORK, .ASSIGNOR TE. W. BLISS COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF WESTVIRGINIA.

LUBRICATION OF AUTOMOBILE A'J.ORIPE}DOES.

laterne.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. il?, i915.

Application filed August 21, 1912. Serial No. 716,190.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. LEAVITT, a citizen of the United States,residing in Smithtown, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Lubrica-y tion ofAutomobile'Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesv to means for lubricating 'the shaft bearings ofautomobile torpedoes. Such torpedoes, especially those driven by aturbine motor, present a peculiarly difficult problem in the lubricationof the propeller shafts, the turbine shaft or' shafts, andtheintervening gearing.

The present invention provides a simple, compact and effective means forproviding a l forced flow of oil to the respective bearings partly inthe plane of the line 4 4; Fig. 5

is a vertical transverse section on the line 5 5 in Figs. 2 and 3; Fig.6 is a vertical siection in an oblique plane indicated yby the line 6 6in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, A. designates the vshell or hull of the torpedo, B Bthe propeller screws, C C the propeller shafts, D the engine or motor,which is shown as a turbine having two bucket wheels E E mountedrespectively on shafts F F. The' turbine wheels revolve bin oppositedirections and' communicate rotation at reduced speed to the propellershafts, which also turn `oppositely. The gearing shown comprises pin,-ions a a lon the turbine shafts respectively,

meshing with vgears b b respectively, which' carry bevel pinions c c',both of which pinions mesh on the one side with a bevel gear d fixed onthe shaft'C, and on the other' side with a bevel gear d fixed on theshaft C. The gears 7J and their pinions turn on atubular stationaryshaft G which has la bearing hub g in which the shaft C turns, and whichat its opposite ends is confined inthe opposite members c e of aframework, whereby the respective gears and shaft bearings are held inposition. The frame members e e are provided with bearings f f for theturbine shafts, and an additional bearing f2 is provided for the turbineshaft F, and which serves also as a step bearing for the propeller shaftC. These bearings and the supported framework may be variously modified,andthe gearing maybe otherwise arranged, these details forming no partof the present invention.

.The forced lubrication is afforded by means of a multiple pump P drivenpreferably from one of the turbine shafts. As shown, the turbine 'shaftFy carries a worm l1, which drives a worm wheel t', which in turn drivesone or more eccentrics j. In the construction shown the worm wheel isflanked by two conincident eocentrics, and these by shaft journals Icla, all being preferably formed' in one piece.- The eccentrics areencircled by straps formed 'integrally -`with pitmans Z which at theiropposite ends are connectedfto a cross-head or rod .preferablyconstructed by forming the three pump chambers in a single'pump-frame orcasting H, and bushing each chamber with a separate cylinder lining q.Each cham- ,ber is preferably bored through vertically to form the valvechambers in whichare located the suction and discharge valves r and1-"respectively, which are shown as ball valves. rihe suction valves areshown as seating upon plug seats s s which are bored yvertically andlaterally, the lateral bores each discharge pump has a separate oil out`letduct or channel, these leading to the respective bearings to belubricated.

For convenience in further description I will referto the threeindividual pumps by the letters J, J1 and J2 respectively. rlhe .pump Jhas a discharge duct 11 (Fig. v6)

which communicates With a passage 12 leading to the bearing surfacesWithin the gear b and pinion c Where these tur-n upon lthe stationaryshaft G, and extending also to the bearing g. The passage 12 'is bestformed` inv K through a borel by introducing a formed in the castlng Hand in the adjapassage 12. From the tubular channel thus formed a'branchchannel 13 completes the communication With the oil groove Within thepinion c, and another d uct 14 completes the communication with the oilgroove in the` bearing g. e i

From the middle pump J1 an oil duct 15 (Fig. 2) vleads and communicates.with a bore 16 in the center of the pin K which leads the oil to anannular space 17 around the 'shaft C, whereby the bearing of this shaftin the hub of the stationary shaft 'G is further lubricated, and thence/the oil flows through a bore 18 and lateral duct 19 to the oil groovevWithin the pinion o', whereby the gear b and pinion c are lubricated.

From the third pump J 2 van oil duct leads to a bore 20 in the turbineshaft F for lubricating the bearings of this shaft. This oil ductconsists preferably of a lateral bore 21 (Fig. 5) communicating with abore 22, andl this in turn with a longitudinal bore 23 (Fig. 4), allformedv inthe casting H, and thence through a lateral bore 24 to a bore25 (Fig. 2) which communicateswitha bore 26 in a spindle @which forms acontinuation of the shaft F, and the bore of Which cornmunicates withthe Vbore 20 in said shaft.

From the bore 20 there may be any desired lateral bores, such as 27, 28and 29, leading oil to the bearing surfaces of this shaft. If

desired oil may be conducted thence through the lateral bores 30 intheshaft F for conductingvoil through this shaft to its outer bearingsurfaces. Obviously the disposition of the several lateral bores 27-30may be 'variously arranged according to the re quirements of .thebearing surfaces. For

making La lgood rotary connection between the bores 25 and 26, thespindle u is made with a terminal ball .u which turns in a hemisphericalsocket u2 in the casting H.'

Thus the three pumps all draw from the v suction I, t, and expel the oilthrough separate discharge ducts each leading to the' lbearing surfaceswhich are ydesigned to be supplied by the pumps respectively. Hence eachpump serves its appropriate bearings, and such bearings are suppliedwith oil at a rate proportionate to the capacity of the pump,irrespective of any differences in back pressure orA resistance from therespective ducts. This .isadvantageous as .compared with the use of asin le larger pump having its discharge branchlng into a plurality 4ofducts leading to the respective bearing surfaces, in Which case thedelivery of oil would be in volume approximately inversely as theresistance offered by the respective ducts.

The multiple pump is so constructed as to be assembled independently ofthe turbine and propeller shafts and gearing, being fastened to thelgearing frame by the single pin K Which is a screw rod threaded into thehub portion of the Xed shaft G. The lateral extension H of the casting Hserves not only for inclosing ducts 23, 24, but forms also a stepbearing for the spindle u, and serves as a support for the bearingblocks o o of the eccentric spindle c, these being screwed to lugs o onthis extension. The pump valves are readilyaccessible by unscrevvingtheplugs s for the suction valves and the plugs r2 for the dischargevalves. The pump cylinder linings g are fastened into the casting H inany manner usual in pump construction. The details of construction maybe greatly varied without depart-ing from the invention. So also may thegeneral arrangement and the driving means. My lubricating system isadapted to different arrangements of turbine and propeller shafts, anddifferent kinds of gearing, the construction and arrangement beingappropriately changed according to the particular arrangement and typeof gearing adopted. Since the turbine shaft or shafts andthe propellershaft or shafts are geared together, the pump may be driven from either,Whichever in any particular arrangement is found more convenient. s

I claim as my invention:-

1. In an automobile torpedo, the combination ywith its motor shaft,propeller shaft and interposed gearing and a bearing frame therefor, ofa lubricating pump comprising a frame attached removably to said bearingframe, and a-pump cylinder and gear Wheel carried thereby, said motorshafthaving a Worm'drivin said gear Wheel.

2. In an automobile torpedo, the combination with its motor andpropeller shaft and lthe bearing frame therefor, of a pump forlubricating the bearings thereof comprising a supporting framefhavingpump ycylinders and valve chambers, gearing for drivin saidV pumpsupported by said `frame, an means for attaching said frame detachablyto said bearing frame, whereby the pump .may be assembled and removedindependmadera oil duct leading to a bearing thereof, of a lubricatingpump comprising a .supporting frame having pump cylinders and valvechambers, gearing for driving said pump, said pump frame having an`voil-.discharge duct communicating with said oil duct in thebearingframe, and means for attaching said pump frame to said bearing frame tobring said ducts into coincidence.

4. In an automobile torpedo, the combination with its motor andpropeller Shaft and the bearing frame therefor, having an oil ductAleading to a bearing to be lubricated, of a lubricating pump comprisingaV supporting frame having pump cylinders and valve chambers, gearingfor said pump, and means for attaching said pump frame to the bearingframe comprising a screw bolt passing through said pump-frame andforming a duct for leading oil from said pump to said oil-duct in thebearing frame.

5. In an automobile torpedo, the combination with its motor andpropeller shaft` and the bearing frame' therefor, of a lubricating pumpcomprising a` supporting frame having pump cylinders and valve chambers,gearing for said pump, and means for attaching said pump frame to thebearing frame comprising a screw pin entering a bore in said bearingframe, with a clearance between forming a duct for leading oil from saidpump to a bearing to be lubricated.

G. In an automobile torpedo, the combi nation with its motor andpropeller shaft and the bearing frame therefor, of a pump forlubricating the bearings thereof comprising a supporting frame havingpump cylinders and valve chambers, gearing for said pump, and means forattaching said pump frame to the bearing. frame comprising a screw pinhaving within it an oil duct and fitting a bore in said bearing frame toform an intervening oil duct, said ducts leading to di'erent bearingsrespectively.

7. In an automobile torpedo, the combination with its motoi' andpropeller shaft and the bearing frame therefor, of a pump forlubricating the bearings thereof comprising a supporting frameremovably' attached to said bearing frame, and having pump cylinders andvalve chambers, said' pump frame having an oil discharge ductterminating in a socket in line with the shaft to be lubricated, andsaid shaft having a tubular extension fitting said socket andcommunicating With said duct for leading the oil to the bearing surfacesof said shaft. v

8. In an automobile torpedo, the combina` tion with a turbine motor,propeller shaft, interposed gearing and bearing frame thereforcomprising ashaft parallel with a turbine shaft, of an oil pumpcomprising a pump frame attached to-said bearing frame, having pumpcylinders and Valve chambers, and separate discharge ducts, the onecommunicating with a duct in said stationary shaft and another with aduct in said rotary shaft, said ducts leading to the respective bearingsto be lubricatedo 9. In an automobile torpedo, the combination with aturbine motor, propeller shaft, interposed gearing and bearing frametherefor, said frame comprising a stationary shaft parallel with aturbine shaft, of an oil pump comprising a pump frame attached to saidbearing frame, having triple pump cylinders, valve chambers, andplungers, driving means therefor, and ducts leading from the respectivedischarge valves, the duct from one pump cylinder leading throughl saidstationary shaft to one bearing, the duct from the second pump cylinderleading through said stationary shaft to another bearing, and the ductfrom the third `pump cylinder communicating with a duct in said turbineshaft leading to a bearing thereof.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo'subscribing witnesses,

FRANK M. LEAVITT. Witnesses:

PETER KRUSE, FRED. I-I. MCGAHIE.

